various: r&b hipshakers vol 1: teach me to monkey

The first volume in a new Vampisoul series -- an uptempo and danceable collection of '60s R&B and early soul from the Federal and King vaults, compiled by renowned DJ Mr. Fine Wine ("Downtown Soulville," WFMU). Most tracks have never been reissued. "When compiling Vampisoul's dip into King Records' deep, deep rhythm-and blues vaults, I realized that I'm a sucker for the sounds of '61. And, well, '62 too. Not that other years slightly earlier and later aren't represented as well, but, fully a quarter of the tracks herein are from 1961. What happened then? President Kennedy happened then, for one thing, inaugurated on January 20th. Also: chimps and their perhaps marginally more civilized human cousins in space; Roger Maris eclipsing the Babe, albeit with a conceptual asterisk; Jets vs. Sharks on the West Side; the Cold War in full swing; a hot war in Vietnam just starting to smolder, though few Americans had even heard of the place yet. And brilliant black musicians making timeless records for a Cincinnati, Ohio family of labels -- gibbling and gobbling down Broadway, implanting indelible, stinging guitar lines in the public consciousness, and making folks do the ginger snap like there was no tomorrow, which I'm sure there didn't always seem to be. This collection of genuine King and Federal R&B sides encompasses crazy dances, intense guitar instrumentals, inspired forays into mind-altering whimsy, timeless odes to male horniness, and hook-filled, honest-to-goodness love songs. For a raucous and potentially life-changing R&B dance party in a box, though, you'll find Teach Me to Monkey to be just the thing." --Mr. Fine Wine; WFMU's "Downtown Soulville," New York City, 2010; Artists include: Willie Wright, Hank Ballard, Lulu Reed, Little Willie John, Lloyd Nolan, The "5" Royales, Little Mummy, The Valentines, Eugene Church, Charles Brown, El Pauling, Roy Milton & His Orchestra, Freddy King, The Drivers, Carol Ford, Little Bobby Moore, Little Emmett Sutton, Willie Dixon, Johnny Watson, and Eddie Kirk.